Biblical Hebrew Grammar for Beginners

Word Order

The principles that govern the position of words in a Biblical Hebrew sentence are part of an
intricate system of norms that are intertwined with personal choices made by a narrator. The
narrator may have wished to create a nuanced text by giving a certain prominence to a word or
a phrase, comparing and contrasting segments of the discourse, and the like, and thus, aware of
the norms, chose to use a non-standard word order.
Three of the principles involved in the normative positioning of words within a sentence
are discussed below.

Negation: Placement of the Negative Particle

The negative particle is usually placed before the element which is negated.

.‫ּומעֵ ץ הַ ַדעַ ת טוֹב וָ ָרע ֹלא תֹ אכַ ל ִמ ֶמּנּו כִ י ְּביוֹם אֲ כָ לְּ ָך ִממֶ ּנּו מוֹת ָתמּות‬
ֵ
(Genesis 2:18)

But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you should not eat from it. For on the day that you
eat from it, you will surely die.

.‫ ֹו עֵ זֶ ר כְּ נֶגְּ ד ֹו‬-‫טוֹב הֱ יוֹת הָ ָדם לְּ בַ ד ֹו; אֶ ע ֱֶשה‬-‫ֹלהים ֹלא‬

ִ ֱ‫וַ יֹא ֶמר יְּ הוָה א‬
(Genesis 2:18)

The Lord God said: The man’s being alone is not good. I will make him a helper opposite him.

‫ֹאמר ֹלא י ַָדעְּ ִתי הֲ שֹמֵ ר ִחי‬

ֶ ‫ ַקיִ ן ֵאי הֶ בֶ ל ִחיָך; וַ י‬-‫ֹאמר יְּ הוָה ֶאל‬
ֶ ‫וַ י‬
(Genesis 4:9)?‫נֹכִ י‬

Then the Lord said to Cain: "Where is Abel, your brother?" And he responded: "I know not. Am I my
brother's keeper?"

‫יְּ ֵרא‬-‫ ַתעַ ש ל ֹו ְּמאּומָ ה כִ י עַ ָתה ָי ַדעְּ ִתי כִ י‬-‫הַ ּנַעַ ר וְּ ַאל‬-‫ ִת ְּשלַח י ְָּדָך ֶאל‬-‫ֹאמר ַאל‬
ֶ ‫וַ י‬
(Genesis 22:12) .‫ידָך ִממֶ ּנִי‬ ְּ ‫יְּח‬
ִ -‫ ִבנְָּך ֶאת‬-‫ֹלהים ַא ָתה וְּ ֹלא חָ ַשכְּ ָת ֶאת‬ ִ ֱ‫א‬

© Esther Raizen, The University of Texas at Austin, 2007-2009

And he said: Do not extend your hand at the boy and do not do anything to him, for now I know
that you fear God, and you have not withheld your son, your only one, from me.

.‫חָ ִריש וְּ ָק ִציר‬-‫זֶ ה ְּשנ ַָתיִ ם הָ ָרעָ ב ְּב ֶק ֶרב הָ ֶרץ; וְּ עוֹד חָ ֵמש ָשנִים אֲ ֶשר אֵ ין‬-‫כִ י‬
(Genesis 45:6)
For two years now there has been famine in the land, and five more years are coming with no plowing or
reaping.

Noun Phrases: Nouns and their Modifiers

In noun phrases, the modifier of a noun will routinely appear following that noun. This applies
to both noun+adjective and noun+noun (composite nouns or construct chains) combinations.
The modified noun is highlighted below in red, and the modifier in blue.

‫הַ מָ אוֹר הַ ָגדֹל לְּ מֶ ְּמ ֶשלֶת הַ יוֹם‬-‫ארֹת הַ גְּ דֹלִ ים ֶאת‬ ֹ ‫ ְּשנֵי הַ ְּמ‬-‫ֹלהים ֶאת‬ִ ֱ‫וַ יַעַ ש א‬
(Genesis 1:16) .‫את הַ כוֹכָ בִ ים‬ ֵ ְּ‫הַ ָמאוֹר הַ ָקטֹן לְּ ֶמ ְּמ ֶשלֶת הַ ַיְּ לָה ו‬-‫וְּ ֶאת‬
So God made the two great lights: The greater light for governing the day, the lesser light for
governing the night, and the stars.
(Genesis 1:19) .‫ְּר ִביעִ י‬ ‫ב ֶֹקר יוֹם‬-‫יְּהי‬
ִ ַ‫עֶ ֶרב ו‬-‫יְּהי‬
ִ ַ‫ו‬
There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
(Genesis 11:2) .‫שם‬
ָ ‫יְּהי ְּבנ ְָּסעָ ם ִמ ֶק ֶדם; וַ יִ ְּמ ְּצאּו ִב ְּקעָ ה ְּב ֶא ֶרץ ִשנְּעָ ר וַ י ְֵּשבּו‬
ִ ַ‫ו‬
So it was that when they traveled from the east they found a valley in the land of Shinear, and
settled there.

Question Words
Question words are placed at the beginning of the sentence.

-‫פַ ְּרעֹה; וְּ כִ י או ִֹציא אֶ ת‬-‫ֹלהים ִמי נֹכִ י כִ י ֵאלְֵך ֶאל‬ִ ֱ‫הָ א‬-‫ֹאמר מ ֶֹשה ֶאל‬ ֶ ‫וַ י‬
(Exodus 3:11) ?‫אל ִמ ִמ ְּצ ָריִ ם‬
ֵ ‫ְּבנֵי יִ ְּש ָר‬
Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to the Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?

(Song of Songs 5:9)?‫ָשים‬

ִ ‫בַ ּנ‬ ‫דו ֵֹדְך ִמדוֹד הַ יָפָ ה‬-‫ַמה‬
How is your beloved different from all other lovers, oh most beautiful woman?

(Genesis 4:6) ?‫פָ נֶיָך‬ ‫ ָקיִ ן ל ָָמה חָ ָרה לְָך וְּ ל ָָמה נָפְּ לּו‬-‫ֹאמר יְּ הוָה ֶאל‬
ֶ ‫וַ י‬
The Lord said to Cain: Why are you angry, and why are you crestfallen?

© Esther Raizen, The University of Texas at Austin, 2007-2009

 (Job 38:4)?‫א ֶרץ‬
ָ -‫ְּבי ְָּס ִדי‬ ‫ית‬
ָ ִ‫ֵאיפֹה הָ י‬
Where were you when I laid the foundations for the earth?

?‫מֵ ת ָשאּול וִ יה ֹונָתָ ן בְּ נו‬-‫הַ ּנַעַ ר הַ ַמגִ יד ל ֹו ֵאיְך י ַָדעְּ ָת כִ י‬-‫ֹאמר ָדוִ ד ֶאל‬
ֶ ‫וַ י‬
(II Samuel 1:5)

Then David said to the youth who brought him the news: "How do you know that Saul and his
son Jonathan have died?"

© Esther Raizen, The University of Texas at Austin, 2007-2009